By Adewale Sanyaolu
AN indigenous security firm, King Young Lion Nigeria Limited, may be heading for a collision course with its client, UTM Nigeria Limited, over unpaid allowances for a contract it entered with the former to provide surveillance for petroleum products pipelines.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, King Yong Lion Limited, Mr. Aminu Joshua Olawale, lamented that since the deal began on December 6, 2015, UTM, a contractor to the Products Pipelines Marketing Company (PPMC) has failed to pay its remunerations for services rendered.
Olawale who also doubles as the Operations Manager for UTM in charge of Southwest, explained that the agreement between King Lion and UTM was for his firm to provide a test run service for two weeks, after which he would be paid, lamenting that till date, he was yet to be paid.
“Now, the deal has entered the third month without any sign of payment in sight. We incur daily operational cost to feed our men, fuel operational vehicles and carry out other logistics. But the nonpayment of our allowances is a threat to the success of this programme,” he said.
The firm, according to him, provides protection for the surveillance of the Atlas Cove to Mosimi pipeline, stretching across riverine Lagos communities including Ilashe, Akaraba and Robert villages in Lagos.
Recall that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, had two weeks ago during a visit to some illegal bunkering sites offshore Lagos, described the site as the den of economic loss to the country.
When contacted, an official of UTM Nigeria Limited, who pleaded anonimity because he was not authorised to speak said King Lion Limited should have directed its complaints to the appropriate channel and not to him.
He said his firm has recorded success in its operations, which, he claimed, has led to arrest of pipeline vandals and truckloads of petroleum products in Ogere, Ilara and Ajebo, both in Ogun State.
Adisa, however, called on UTM to, as a matter of urgency, clear the outstanding allowances so as not to truncate the surveillance efforts of his men, who are committed and determined to ensure that the activities of pipeline vandals are curtailed.
But beyond the issue of remuneration, he said PPMC should endeavour to sensitise members of the communities where it operates on its mission, so that they don’t misconstrue its presence as a take-over plot to their villages.
“For now, we have the maximum co-operation of the Navy, Police and Civil Defence. In Ilashe, we arrested over 21 vandals, whom we handed over to the police. That is to tell you we have their co-operation. “We would like Nigerians to plead with NNPC to do the needful so that we can intensify our action. We don’t want a situation where the community we are policing will allege that we are colluding with vandals,” he stated.
Since we commenced operation at the Lagos riverine communities, we have been able to take over the communities from vandals. The vandals have been operating in these communities for over 10 years unchecked. But with our presence, sanity has returned.”
from The Sun News http://ift.tt/1mBooHa
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